Lance Armstrong During Oprah Interview -- YES, I DOPED

Lance Armstrong

YES, I DOPED

1/18/2013 6:02 AM PST BY TMZ STAFF

breaking news

Lance Armstrong just confessed ... EVERYTHING.

Lance admitted it all during his Oprah interview -- saying he took banned substances to enhance his cycling performances before all 7 of his Tour de France wins ... he blood doped ... he took testosterone ... EPO ... human growth hormone ... everything you can imagine.

Lance had denied the allegations for years -- and when Oprah asked why he came forward now, Lance replied, "I don't know that I have a great answer. I will start now by saying this is too late ... I view this situation as one big lie that I repeated a lot of times ... I am a flawed character."

He added, "I didn't invent the [doping] culture, but I did nothing to stop the culture ... and I am sorry for that."

Lance said he began using EPO (erythropoietin) -- a hormone that enhances red blood cell production -- in the mid 90s.

When asked if he was ever afraid he'd be caught -- Lance replied, "No."When asked if it felt wrong at the time -- Lance replied, "No."When asked if he felt like he was cheating -- he replied, "No ... I viewed it as a level playing field."

As for how the whole operation worked, Armstrong hedged on the details -- saying, "I viewed it as very simple. You had things that were oxygen-boosting drugs, for lack of a better word, that were incredibly beneficial for endurance sports. And that's all you needed."

He added, "My cocktail was only EPO ... not a lot ... transfusions and testosterone."

Lance -- who referred to his former self as "an arrogant pr*ck" -- isn't shocked by the outrage over his lies and deceit ... saying, "I deserve it."

HERE'S THE RUNDOWN David Beckham Loses Control Of His Motorcycle In Hollywood Tom Hanks Blasts FIFA Over Women's World Cup Usain Bolt Uses Chris Brown & Drake To Impress Rihanna Country Legend Rips The NFL Over Half Time Show